 Artifacts by Ute Carson "Illya's Honey," Dallas Poets Community, Vol.13, Fall/Winter 2007 We have moved the antique furniture to our new home, Reassembled head-and sideboards, Connected bases and tops with worn-wooden pegs. As I rub the oil into the 18th century cupboard Whispers escape from the hand-carvings And moans seep from dry planks, warped and chapped. Gently I polish the brass handles, the locks of intricate design And where a corner is missing, an ornament broken off, I carefully wipe my cloth over the ancient wounds. A gilt-framed, yellowed photograph of my great-great-grandmother, Fan and petticoat swirling past pewter dishes on the shelves, Decorates the dark alcove of the sturdy breakfront. And hidden among chiseled rosettes are an A and a P, Modest imprints of the cabinetmaker at St. Ivan, a country castle near Prague. Our six-year old grandson Nicholas gapes at the carved dragons Snarling from the drawer-faces. Timidly his fingers touch a wood whorl, Then trace along the edge of a gouged groove. I continue my work, smoothing, preserving. No longer can I see the previous owners' smiles Or watch the cabinetmaker at his craft, But I feel the presence of the past as in a dream Laying hands on old wood and bygone lives.
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